Odd Man Rush

Note: I’m having trouble getting the embedded videos to show up on #9 & #5.  Until I can fix this, they will just be links.

Part 1 (#20-11) is here.

10. August 22, 2007: Rangers 30, Orioles 3

The Rangers set a major league record by scoring 30 runs in one game.  The performance was so awe-inspiring that Tim Kurkjian had trouble keeping it together in describing it on ESPN.  Of course, a game like this invites statistical analysis.  You can find some of that here.  One of my favorite stats?  Wes Littleton earned a save – yes, that’s right – by pitching three shutout innings.  Box Score

9. May 26, 1993: Jose Canseco uses his head

I’m afraid that this needs no explanation: Video

8. 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003: MVP Awards for Juan Gonzalez (twice), Ivan Rodriguez, and Alex Rodriguez

The fact that 3 Rangers players won 4 MVP awards in the span of just 8 years speaks to the level on individual accomplishment that players have achieved in Texas.  Unfortunately, it also points to the lack of team success that has plagued the franchise.  These 3 are now almost certainly tainted names, but they each had career seasons in Arlington.

7. August 22, 1989; June 11, 1990; July 31, 1990; May 1, 1991: Nolan Ryan Milestones in a Rangers uniform: 5000 Ks, No-hitter #6, 300 Ws, No-hitter #7

Nolan Ryan’s plaque in Cooperstown shows him wearing a Rangers hat, and the reason for that is because he was able to accomplish so many statistical feats while in Arlington.  He spent more time with both the Angels and the Astros, but most of his iconic pictures show Ryan in a Texas uniform.  Only 24 pitchers have achieved the 300 win mark (and some have speculated that it is now an unreachable plateau).  With 324 wins, Ryan stands at #14 on the all-time list.  The other 2 accomplishments are widely considered to be among baseball’s untouchable records.  Notably, Nolan pitched his 7th no-hitter on the same day that Rickey Henderson broke the all-time steals record, overshadowing his feat.

 

6. May 29, 1993: Jose Canseco pitches

Three days after Jose Canseco let one out off his noggin, he somehow convinced bumbling manager Kevin Kennedy that he needed to pitch in a blowout game against the Red Sox.  In 1 inning of work, Canseco threw 33 pitches (only 12 were strikes), walking 3 and giving up 2 hits and 3 earned runs, good for a career ERA of 27.00.  In the process, he injured his elbow and was lost for the remainder of the season.  He underwent Tommy John surgery, leading to this image which was run in Ranger programs the following year:

Box Score

5. July 28, 1994: Kenny Rogers throws a perfect game

Kenny Rogers’ perfect game is memorable mostly for two reasons: (1) It’s the only perfect game in team history, and (2) Rusty Greer made an amazing catch in the 9th inning to preserve it.  You can see it at about the 1:08 mark here: Video

Box Score

4. October 1, 1996: The Rangers win a playoff game

The Rangers hold the ignominous honor of being the only MLB team to have never won a playoff series.  They have played a total of 10 playoff games, all against the New York Yankees, and they won the first and have lost the last 9.  The lone win featured home runs from Juan Gonzalez and Dean Palmer, and John Burkett was the winning pitcher.  Unfortunately, the Rangers were unable to turn their early postseason success into anything positive.  Box Score

3. July 14, 2008: Josh Hamilton takes over the Home Run Derby

Anybody who has followed baseball the last couple of years knows Josh Hamilton’s story: A young baseball phenom throws away his career to drug addiction, then finds Jesus and hits in batting cages at his local Putt Putt to get his swing back.  America fell in love with Josh during the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium in its last year.  Hamilton took pitches from one of his old Little League coaches, the 71 year old Clay Council and hit 28 home runs in the first round, beating Bobby Abreu’s record.  He didn’t hit one out of the stadium like he wanted to, but he did get to tell ESPN’s Erin Andrews about the dream he had in 2006 where he participated in a home run derby in Yankee Stadium and talked to a blonde reporter about it afterwards. 

2. June 20, 1991: Pudge makes his major league debut

One of the greatest catchers to ever play the game had a decent major league debut, if you just look at the box score.  Pudge hit a 2 RBI single and struck out.  You have to look a little deeper to see just how special it was.  The 19 year old Rodriguez, who would become known for striking fear into the hearts of baserunners everywhere, threw out two runners at second.  More memorable, though, was the fact that he got married at home plate in Arlington Stadium before the game.  What a way to celebrate.

1. August 4, 1993: Nolan Ryan beats down Robin Ventura

In 1993, Nolan Ryan was 46 years old and winding down his Hall of Fame career.  Robin Ventura was 26 and in his 4th year.  When Ventura took exception to the Ryan hitting him on August 4, he charged the mound and learned a lesson about respecting his elders.  Nolan, using a move he says he uses on steers at his ranch in South Texas, put Ventura in a headlock and hit him 6 times on the head before being pulled away.  Ventura was ejected, while Ryan was allowed to stay in the game.  Video

 

It is with great pride that I present to you Part 1 of the most memorable moments in recent Texas Rangers history.  Compiling this list was a collaborative effort.  

The list represents good and bad moments that happened both on and off the field.  I did not include trades and acquisitions, with one very notable exception.  Perhaps in the near future (or around trade deadline time), we’ll come up with a list of the best and worst trades in Rangers history.  For now, the memorable moments:

20. April 1, 1994: The Ballpark in Arlington opens

In 1991, it was clear that the Rangers needed to move out of Arlington Stadium, an old minor league ballpark.  The new park was modeled after several classic stadiums, but it has met mixed reviews among baseball and sports publications.  In 2006, Sports Illustrated ranked it #5 for Fan Value. However, ESPN.com ranked it #17 overall just three years earlier.  Recent reviews have it at 15th and 25th.  What became quickly apparent to Rangers fans following the opening of the stadium was that it was pretty much the opposite of Arlington Stadium in terms of friendliness to pitchers.  The jet stream continues to be a problem in drawing free agent pitchers to this day.

19. August 3, 2003: Johnny Oates inducted into Rangers Hall of Fame

In my opinion, the hierarchy of Rangers managers goes thusly: Oates, Valentine, and Martin, with an honorable mention for Ted Williams because hey, he’s Ted Williams.  Oates remains the only manager to take the Rangers to the playoffs, and he was unfairly forced to resign in 2001 following unrealistic expectations after Tom Hicks committed $252 million to one player (see #14).  In 2003, following a diagnosis of brain cancer, he rode onto the field as an inaugural inductee to the Rangers Hall of Fame.  He died about a year and a half later.  You can see part of that induction in this video.

18. 2003, 2006, 2008: Rangers heroics at the All Star Game

The National League hasn’t won an All-Star game since 1996, thanks in large part to Texas Rangers players. 

In 2003, the American League trailed 6-4 entering the 8th inning when the NL brought Eric Gagne in to close.  The AL made it a one-run game before Hank Blalock came up and hit the go-ahead two run homer to win the game.  It was the only save Gagne blew that year, and since it wasn’t an official game, his eventual record-setting consecutive saves record was allowed to continue.

In 2006, the American League once again trailed, this time 2-1 entering the ninth.  On this occasion, it was Michael Young’s two-run triple that proved to be the difference.  Young was named the MVP.

Young was the hero again in 2008, driving in the winning run via sacrifice fly.  The RBI came against Brad Lidge, and the game became his only blown save all season as well.  

The 2004 All-Star game wasn’t close, but Alfonso Soriano was named MVP of that game also.

17. May 22, 1997: Mark Holtz’ last game

Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel were without question the best broadcast team the Rangers have ever had.  I contend that Holtz is also the best TV guy to do Rangers games on a regular basis.  His catchphrase, "Hello, win column!", shouted after victories, was uttered one last time during Holtz’ final game on May 22, 1997.  He died three and a half months later.   The phrase is still displayed on the Rangers’ center field scoreboard after wins.

 

16. June 29, 2005: Kenny Rogers assaults a cameraman

 

The Rangers and Kenny Rogers have always had an on-again, off-again relationship.  Rogers spent three stints in Texas, leaving on good terms the first two times.  The third time, however, was not such an amicable split.  On June 29, 2005, with the Rangers slumping, but still in second place and on the fringe of contention, Rogers assaulted two cameramen, saying, "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."  One of the gentlemen was sent to the hospital, as were the Rangers postseason hopes after Rogers was suspended for 20 games.

15. June 12, 1997: Arlington hosts the first regular season interleague game

Okay, so the Rangers lost the game.  But it was still the first-ever regular season interleague game, and it happened in our ballpark.  The Rangers have played the most interleague games (212) in the major leagues since its implementation, and have gone 103-109.

14. December 2000: A-Rod signs a $252 million contract

Following a disappointing 2000 season, Tom Hicks was eager to prove that he was willing to spend to put the Rangers back into contention, which resulted in what was at the time the biggest baseball contract ever.  The record is so ridiculous that it has only been passed by A-Rod himself.  The signing should be memorable just for that fact alone, but the ramifications that it had on the team make it even more so.  There was little room for signing other free agents, and the team had to say goodbye to some of their beloved stars, such as Ivan Rodriguez.  Finally, the unrealistic expectations caused by the signing led to the departure of Johnny Oates (see #19).  

13. September 8, 1990: Nolan Ryan takes a Bo Jackson liner to the face

This picture has always epitomized Nolan Ryan for me:

 

On September 8, 1990, Bo Jackson lined a Nolan Ryan fastball back up the middle and hit Ryan square in the mouth with it.  Nolan calmly picked up the ball and threw the speedy Jackson out, then stayed in the game and retired the side.  And some people call this wussy-boy steroid user named "Rocket" the greatest living pitcher.  What do they know?

12. September 13, 2004: Frank Francisco throws a chair

 

Kids, let me tell you a story.  Frank Francisco wasn’t always a closer with terrible entrance music.  One day in Oakland, the thug fans behind the bullpen decided to turn their trash talk personal by mentioning then-Ranger Doug Brocail’s stillborn child.  Francisco, a middle reliever at the time, lost his cool and threw a chair into the stands.  He missed almost two years due to a suspension and Tommy John surgery and became the pitcher you now know and love for getting five-out saves.

11. 1996, 1998, 1999: AL West titles

There was something to like about each of the Rangers division-winning teams.  1996 represented the first title ever for the Rangers, and it showed the promise of a team with staying power.  1998 featured another MVP season from Juan Gonzalez, who drove in 101 runs before the All-Star break.  1999 was the best season ever for Texas, who won 95 games.  Unfortunately, these seasons sit at #11 on our list for one reason: playoff ineptitude.

Box

Positives

• Once again, the offense got going early.  The Rangers didn’t trail all series.  That’s got to take a lot of pressure off the staff.
  
• Here’s how good the offense has been so far: I haven’t even mentioned Ian Kinsler yet, and here are his stats: 7-14, 1 HR, 6 RBI, good for a SLG of .929 and an OPS of 1.429.
• Every hitter scored at least 1 run.
  
• Andruw Jones went 3 for 5 in his debut.  He had just 33 hits in 75 games last year.  I’m not ready to jump on the bandwagon yet, but is there any denying that Rudy Jaramillo is the Hank Haney of hitting?
• 5 RBI’s for Marlon Byrd today.
  
• Omar Vizquel contributed on both sides of the ball, making several key defensive plays as you might expect, but also by driving in and scoring a run.
• Brandon McCarthy was mediocre overall, but he debuted his new slurve, and it was filthy.  He relied on it to collect 7 K’s in 5 IP.  You can also say this for McCarthy: He went for 105 pitches.  That’s 3 starters in a row to go over 100, and Rangers starters are now 3-0.
  

Negatives

• The Indians hit 5 home runs, and that accounted for 7 of their 8 RBI’s.   
  
• Scott Feldman was the long reliever today, and he was not good.  After allowing a leadoff hit in the 8th, the camera focused on his face and he had one of those "Here we go again" looks.  You weren’t the only one, Scott.
• Chris Davis went 0 for 4, which means he’s now 1 for 11 with 5 K’s.  He also left 4 on base today.
  

Does anybody know where I can get text-only box scores without all the fancy graphics?  I’d love to just be able to copy and paste.

Box

Positives

• Vicente Padilla was one out away from a Quality Start.  You would like to see him get more innings, but once the Rangers took the lead, Padilla kept Cleveland at bay.  He got himself into some trouble in the fourth, hitting Ryan Garko with the bases loaded, but then he got himself out of the jam.
• The offense was on again, and the best part is that it’s not coming from just one or two sources.  Five Rangers drove in runs.
• Nelson Cruz hit two home runs.  Breakout season?
• Elvis Andrus used his speed to beat out an infield single and drive in his first run, then hit a solo homer.  I’m starting to like this kid.
• Francisco made it a little interesting in the ninth, but ultimately got the save on a strikeout. 
• Have I mentioned I love the red unis?  The Rangers wore white with blue letters tonight, but the red hats were a great touch.  It was funny to watch the commercials with last year’s footage and the blue uniforms.
  

Negatives

• Defense.  Michael Young and Elvis Andrus each had throwing errors.  So much for that tight defense on the left side.  I really do think it will be better, but it’s a little early for errors, right?  C.J. Wilson added one of his own.
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia left the game with "lightheadedness."  Uh, what?  Taylor Teagarden was already scheduled to start tomorrow (day game after a night game), so hopefully Jarrod has enough time to, er, recover.
• It took Padilla 109 pitches to get through 5 2/3.  He’s going to have to be more economical in the future.  He also had 7 flyouts versus 5 groundouts, which will not be okay in July.
• I question bringing in Eddie Guardado for 1/3 of an inning.  Why not let leave him in for the 8th if he’s already in the game and warm?  He only threw 10 pitches.  It seems like Washington was maybe being a little slavish to the predefined bullpen roles in this case.
• Only 23,000 in attendance?  Come on, guys.
  

I hope to post recaps of all 162 games this season.  I realize this is ambitious, so don’t expect to see recaps on the same day or even the next day – but I will get around to them.  They will be short and sweet – a link to a box score, 3 (or more) positives from the game, and 3 (or more) negatives from the game.  Of course, I reserve the right to call an audible, but that’s how I see this going.

Box Score

Positives

• Kevin Millwood pitched 7 innings and only gave up 5 hits, all of them singles.  He threw 113 pitches and said afterward he could have kept going, so I guess there’s something to Nolan Ryan’s conditioning program.  It’s nice to get an ace performance from your ace.
• The defense.  Pitching has always been a problem for the Rangers, but a significant improvement in defensive play will obviously help the Rangers as they try to avoid posting a league-worst ERA two years in a row.  Michael Young was tested in his first game at third base, and he passed.  He had to charge two balls, and he looked like he’s been doing it his whole career.  Similarly, Elvis Andrus turned two double plays and even made an amazing diving stop behind second base.
• Hank Blalock hit a 3-run homer, proving in my mind that he can be effective protecting Josh Hamilton or Nelson Cruz (depending on the handedness of the pitcher) in the lineup.
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his first home run since June 3.  More importantly, he was in sync with Millwood behind the plate and kept the pace moving when things were going well.
• Michael Young is back.  Last year, he played with a broken finger on each hand.  Today, he looked like the player that’s accustomed to collecting 200 hits a season.
• Josh Hamilton didn’t have to be a hero, but he was effective at the plate and in the field.
• C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco each pitched a perfect inning in relief.
• Those new red uniforms looked fantastic.  I love the Rangers in red.

Negatives

• You really have to pick nits to find something.  It says a lot when only one player went hitless.  That player was Chris Davis.  Nothing to worry about here – Chris is going to be fine.
• The one run was caused by a Millwood wild pitch that Saltalamacchia maybe could have stopped.
• Frank Francisco’s entrance music/scoreboard montage was TERRIBLE.  One or the other (preferably both) needs to be changed.

Note: If you know how I can fix the pictures so they don’t look so stupid, let me know.

10. The Red River Rivalry Game becomes a focal point of the National Championship discussion.

College football was once again a mess in 2008, and much of the controversy revolved around three Big XII South schools: Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas Tech.  When three teams have identical records and they all beat each other, people (and computers) turn nit-picky when trying to determine which team is best.  For a while it looked like Texas might be the team because they beat Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, but ultimately Oklahoma got the nod based largely on style points.

9. Nolan Ryan rejoins the Texas Rangers as President.

Not many baseball fans know who their team’s President of Baseball Operations is, but most Rangers fans do.  It helps that he is the best player to ever put on a Rangers uniform, but Nolan Ryan has nevertheless been a very visible executive.  The legend was spotted regularly at the ballpark this summer enjoying his new old team play mediocre baseball.  Ryan reportedly spent this season "learning the ropes" and will have a more hands-on approach with the baseball side of the team this year, but his new role of President has ignited at least a glimmer of hope that this ship can, in fact, be righted.  

Is it possible for Nolan to start 20+ games this year?

8.  The Cowboys play their last game in Texas Stadium.

The game itself was an embarrassment, but the story here is that the Cowboys are all set to move in to the new place in Arlington.  Jones and company have done a great job with the design; nostalgics will still have their hole in the roof (a retractable one), and what’s not to love about all of the events the new stadium (not even finished yet) has already brought?  Dallas has already been promised a Super Bowl, a Final Four, the NBA All-Star Game, and there are even some unsubstantiated rumors that Dallas may put together an exploratory committee for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

7. The Mavericks lose in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

For those fans looking for a silver lining, here’s a couple:

• The Mavericks didn’t lose to a #8 seed this time.
• Dirk Nowitzki didn’t suffer the indignity of winning the MVP, then losing in the first round.
• Dallas didn’t lose a potential series-clinching game.
• It’s not like anybody expected them to win this year, anyway.
  

6. Plano native Nastia Liukin wins Olympic Gold.

The media darling going into the Beijing Olympics was Shawn Johnson from West Des Moines, Iowa.  In the end, however, it was Plano native Nastia Liukin that came away with the gold, then returned to Dallas to a hero’s welcome.  The best part: she wasn’t underage.

5. The Cowboys put up a 13-3 record, then lose in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

The 2007 Cowboys expected to end an 11-year playoff drought after going 13-3 and sending 13 players to the Pro Bowl, but were unable to do so after running into the playoff juggernaut that was The New York Giants.  Despite beating the Giants twice in the regular season, the Cowboys couldn’t hang with them in a dogfight.  The final drive was capped by – what else? – a Tony Romo interception.

4. The Stars make the Western Conference Finals.

Nobody expected the Stars to be the team that achieved playoff success, but they were able to dispatch defending champion and division rival Anaheim Ducks despite a poor finish to the season and a #5 seed.  They took the first two games in California before winning Game 6 by a 4-1 score.  In the Conference Semifinals, they faced another division rival, the San Jose Sharks.  The Sharks were heavily favored going in, but the Stars prevailed in 6 games again.  Game 6 was an emotional, 4-overtime affair (the 8th longest game in history) that capped a series which featured 4 overtime games.  The Stars won 3 of the 4, shaking a stigma of soft overtime-play that had followed them since the institution of the shootout to decide regular season games.  Also convincing doubters was Marty Turco, who despite being labeled a choker, matched Evgeni Nabokov save-for-save in that Game 6.

The overmatched Stars eventually lost in 6 games to the eventual champion Detroit Red Wings, but were able to make a series out of it.  The end of the season led to high hopes for the 2008-09 season, but so far the Stars have disappointed.

3. The Cowboys miss the playoffs.

The Cowboys were so intent on winning a playoff game in 2008 that they forgot to qualify for the playoffs.  After starting the season as presumptive Super Bowl favorites (you should have heard local radio shows in July), the three-ring circus took over. The franchise quarterback hurt his pinky and couldn’t play, Tank Johnson, Terrell Owens, and Adam Jones took the media spotlight, the owner questioned Marian Barber’s toughness, and Wade Phillips acted as if none of it was a big deal.  Despite all the drama and losing that happened in the first half of the season, the Cowboys nevertheless faced a win-and-you’re-in situation against the hated Eagles.  What ensued was an embarassment that the franchise perhaps has not seen since losing to the lowly Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round in 1998.  The Cowboys didn’t just swing-and-miss in their final attempt to qualify for the playoffs in the 2008 – they swung and fell on their backside, then tripped on their way back to the dugout.  Inexplicably, Jerry Jones stood behind Wade Phillips, despite the erosion of the locker room over the course of the season.   Focus turned to Tony Romo, who turned the ball over 3 times, fueling speculation that Tony is maybe not a big-game quarterback.  Cowboys fans will hope that he will have a Marty Turco-type resurgence in next year’s playoffs – if they remember to make it first.

2. The Mavericks trade Devin Harris for Jason Kidd, then fire Avery Johnson.

I don’t know what to say about this.  In 5 or so years, this trade will be legendary in Dallas, like the Herschel Walker trade, but in reverse.  I guess if the objective for the Mavericks was to make the playoffs, Mission Accomplished.  Apparently it wasn’t though, because Mark Cuban subsequently fired Avery Johnson after the Mavs lost in the first round again.  Wait, it was Avery’s fault?  I’ll still be trying to figure this one out this time next year.

 

Do you think Cuban had one of these banners in his office when he fired Avery?

1. Josh Hamilton makes a comeback.

The trade that brought Hamilton to the Rangers technically happened in 2007, or one of these items would have been "Rangers trade away more pitching talent."  But it didn’t, and it’s more fun to focus on the positives anyway.  In my opinion, there was not a better story in sports this year than the Lance Armstrong-like story of Josh Hamilton, who battled a drug addiction and three years without baseball to become the American League RBI Champion in 2008.  Aside from his outstanding showing during the regular season (particularly the first half), Hambone took the spotlight in the Home Run Derby, wowing the Yankee Stadium crowd with 28 bombs in the first round, a new record.  In his post-"game" interview, Hamilton revealed that he had envisioned the spectacle in a dream, which inspired him in his comeback.  That, my friends, makes Josh Hamilton’s comeback the story of 2008.

 

Was the pitcher 71 years old in Hamilton’s dream, too?

I find all the New Year’s hoopla to be a bunch of bunk.  It’s just another day, right?  So usually I skip the resolutions and just take it as an excuse to get together with people and watch crappy bands on TV.  This year, though, I think I’ll resolve to update this thing more often.  I kind of quit because I felt like I was monopolizing the blog that was supposed to be a collaboration, but I’m done feeling guilty about that.  The other collaborators can feel free to contribute, of course, but be prepared to see regular updates here.  Let’s start with this post: the top DFW sports stories of 2008. 

20. Schellas Hyndman takes over head coaching job for FC Dallas.

Everybody knows that when you do a list like this, you don’t really put the 20th most important story here, you do the one that you wanted to write about but didn’t make the list.  Hyndman’s hiring didn’t exactly inspire conversation around Dallas-area water coolers, but it is important for FC Dallas.  The long-time SMU coach was a mid-season hire, so he get a good chance to implement his potent offense, but look for it next year.  Word is that this hiring may be what keeps Kenny Cooper from jetting for the EPL, and if that’s the truth, he’s already worth the money.

19. Avery Johnson out, Rick Carlisle in.

Avery was certainly the scapegoat for the Maverick’s recent struggles, but Carlisle may be exactly what the Mavs need to turn it around.  He’s been Don Nelson-esque in being able to get more out of less.  Under him, J.J. Barea has found his role and the Mavericks have played well against the teams they’re supposed to beat, which is more than they could say in the spring.

18. The Grand Prairie AirHogs reach the AAIPB Finals in their Inaugural Season.

This summer the expansion AirHogs got some local press by playing .604 baseball and getting hot in the playoffs, eventually losing 3 games to 1 in the finals.  Perhaps more important was the fact that they actually took some attendance away from the Texas Rangers, leading Tom Hicks to state that high gas prices, not the team’s struggles or the town’s new team, were taking away from attendance.  Meanwhile, the AirHogs are busy sending their players to major league farm systems.  Will a team with such high roster turnover be able to gain some staying power in the Metroplex?  2009 will tell.

17. Team leaders for the Cowboys, Rangers, and Stars all injured at critical times.

Team: Cowboys

Who: Tony Romo breaks the pinky on his throwing hand.

When: Right in the middle of the season, when the Cowboys faced winnable games against the Rams and the Bucs and an important statement game against the Giants.  They managed to only beat Tampa Bay.

Team: Rangers

Who: Ian Kinsler has season-ending sports hernia surgery.

When: In August, when it was probably too late anyway, but Kinsler’s departure killed any and all hopes.  He was having an MVP-type season (when he stopped playing, his numbers were better than eventual winner Dustin Pedroia) and was a clubhouse leader.  In 2009, Kinsler will need to play more than 130 games (his career high) if the Rangers are going to have a prayer.

Team: Stars

Who: Brenden Morrow tore his ACL, all but ending his season.

When: November 20, right in the middle of their start-of-the-season slump.  The Stars went 0-for-22 on power plays following the injury.

16. TCU goes 11-2, wins Poinsettia Bowl.

The Horned Frogs have been on the fringe of FBS greatness for some time now, and 2008 was another step in the right direction for this program.  Despite losing to Oklahoma early in the season, TCU expected to make a BCS bowl before they were knocked off by Utah in Salt Lake City.  However, they bounced back to beat previously undefeated Boise State in a comeback win in the Poinsettia Bowl.

15. The Romo-Witten-Owens drama distracts the Cowboys in December.

The he-said, he-said drama about who Romo likes to throw the ball to more was a bit of a head-scratcher.  Sure, T.O. has been involved in this kind of stuff before, but what was with all the anonymous sources and meetings?  Supposedly Owens rounded up the receivers to go to talk to Jason Garrett, and supposedly Owens and Witten got into a shoving match in the locker room.  All of a sudden, none of it actually happened and it was all Ed Werder’s fault.  What really happened here?  Let’s start with what we know: the Cowboys underperformed.  All the other love triangle stuff was just extracurricular.

14. Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban accused of insider trading.

I’ve never really understood insider trading: who decides what information is okay to trade on and what isn’t?  All I know is my high school government teacher used to get worked up about white collar crime being treated as no big deal.  The Securities and Exchange Commission decided this was a big deal, and now they’re after Cuban.  Mark posted a strongly worded denial on his blog, but the allegations doomed his attempt to acquire the Cubs, meaning it’s only the Mavericks who might have to deal with any potential fallout this thing might bring in the future.

13. The Stars start the ‘08-’09 season in the basement.

The NHL is ridiculous with their standings: why award points for an overtime loss anymore?  In any case, that means that almost nobody finishes below .500; last year only 7 of the 30 teams did so.  That should give you some perspective to just how bad the start of the season was for the Stars.  They started an abysmal 6-10-4 and just narrowly climbed above .500 for the end of 2008, now standing at 16-15-5.  Much of the blame for the horrible start can be attributed to Marty Turco, who began the season dead last in GAA and Save Percentage.  He has since turned it around, probably due to the fact that he is now actually being coached.

12. Adam Jones is reinstated – twice.

Roger Goodell reinstated Adam Jones largely because Jerry Jones promised he would behave as a Cowboy.  Despite not being able to live up to his promise, Jerry got his wish when Adam was reinstated a second time after getting into a scuffle with his bodyguard.  Jerry then got karma served to him when Adam was an instrumental part in the Cowboys’ end of season embarassment, commiting a personal foul and a fumble.

11. Sean Avery joins the Stars, then shows everybody why he’s the NHL’s Most Hated Man.

Sean Avery played 23 games for the Stars and wasn’t nearly as good at backing up his talk as Les Jackson and Brett Hull apparently thought.  He scored 3 goals during that time, then managed to draw a whole lot of attention to the Stars (and losing teams never need more negative press) by making disparaging remarks about Dion Phaneuf and his girlfriend.  Shortly after his 6-game suspension was served, the Stars announced he would not be returning to the team.  Maybe the infatuation that Dallas teams seem to have with negative personalities is starting to wane now.  One can only hope.

10-1 are coming tomorrow.  Happy new year!

I know that the 2008-09 NHL season is very young, but if the playoffs started today, the Dallas Stars would have an early vacation.  How can this be happening?  The Stars were expected to improve on last year, when they made it to the Western Conference Finals and gave the Red Wings a better series than any team from the East could ever have done.  Instead, they’re 3-4-2 and lagging behind teams like the Blackhawks, the Predators, and the Flames.  What’s worse are the statistics that lie behind this horrid start.  4.22 goals allowed per game is terrible for any team, and it’s even more dire for the Stars, which are supposed to be a defense-first team.  Sure, Zubov is out, but he was out for the stretch run last year.  Ditto for defensive-minded forward Jere Lehtinen.  Boucher is not 100%, but has he ever been?  You can chalk it up to laziness, or lack of cohesiveness, or perhaps just a bad start for Marty #%^@-ing Turco.  Fine.  I was all for that, until I read Mike Heika’s article in the Dallas Morning News on Sunday.

The takeaway from the article is this: the organization realizes that there’s a problem with the defense, and they’re working to fix it.  Practice is focused on defense, the co-GMs are looking at possible personnel moves, etc.  But one important fact was mentioned and glossed over.  I’ll quote it for you here.  See if you react the way I do.

"The long-time Stars goaltending coach [Andy Moog] had been scarcely seen the past two seasons – in part because of additional player development responsibilities he had picked up within the organization, and also because Marty Turco was focusing on coaching himself. But the fact that the Stars have the worst goals against average (4.17) and save percentage (.840) in the league means this is a good time for Moog to take time with the net-minders."  [Link to the article]

Wait, what?  Marty Turco has been coaching himself?!?  Look, he’s not exactly the drunken Ed Belfour, talking to his goalposts and what-not, but professional athletes, particularly crazy ones like Turco, do not need to be coaching themselves.  I don’t know if this is common practice in the NHL, but frankly I don’t care.  It doesn’t need to be if it is.  Every major sport has coaches for every position.  Football has O-Line, D-Line, Linebacker, Quarterback, Receiver, and Running Back coaches, and I’m probably missing some.  Baseball has hitting and pitching coaches, and they are considered invaluable.  The Dallas Mavericks, the team that shares a building with the Stars, have a Free Throw Coach.  Granted, the Mavs are the only team in the league to employ such a person, but they consistently are among the league leaders in free throw percentage.  Tiger Woods has a swing coach and a caddy (and probably a short game coach, too.  Phil Mickelson has one.) that he relies upon to play golf at the level that he does.  He doesn’t coach himself.  The very idea is ridiculous.  

Here’s the point: Dallas Stars management should stop giving their goaltending coach so many extra assignments so that he isn’t their goaltending coach anymore.  I have been directing my anger and frustration about this slow start at Marty Turco, but it seems like the buck needs to stop with whomever decided it was a good idea to let players flop around on the ice with no guidance.

Okay, so it’s a bad and obvious joke, but one that needed to be told.  Let’s take this in two steps:

1 – The Rangers traded away Eddie Guardado.  Fine with me.  There was talk that he might be the closer next year, but let’s be honest, Eddie is not a long-term solution.  Getting rid of him forces the organization to deal with the problem, rather than simply using a stop-gap.  JD is getting good at signing older free agents (Guardado is 37), showcasing them, than trading them to a contender for a prospect or two.  Which leads us to…

2 – The Twins sent over right-handed pitcher Mark Hamburger.  The stats, from baseball-reference.com:

• 21 years old, 6’4", 210 lbs (according to media reports, baseball-reference.com seems to have an old number)
• Just finished his 2nd season of Class A Rookie ball.
• 35 G, 51.2 IP, 3-3, 13 SV, 3.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 52 K (just over 9 K/9!), 17 BB
• Named this year’s Closer of the Year in the Appalachian League, also named to the postseason All-Star squad.
• In his last 11 appearances, dating back to July 28, gave up no walks and struck out 10.
• Features a fastball, slider, curve, and change-up.  Says his fastball is his "out pitch" and has "decent movement."  A Rangers scout reportedly clocked the fastball at 96 recently.
  
• T.R. Sullivan calls him a "decent prospect."  Well then.
• An interview with Hamburger, from a Twins perspective, from this last offseason.
  

"While the background music changes in Arlington, the story is forever the same. The 2008 Rangers lead the majors in runs and slugging percentage, but they’re loitering around .500 because of a pitching staff that ranks last in the big leagues with a 5.45 ERA. Sound familiar?"

See, Jon Daniels, Jerry Crasnick gets it!  Why can’t you get it? 

Link to the article.